Vedanta Aluminium supports the Prime Minister’s Nikshay Mitra campaign against tuberculosis

Jharsuguda: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has pledged its support towards the Prime Minister’s ‘TB(Tuberculosis) Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ by launching the Nikshay Mitra program at Jharsuguda. The Nikshay Mitra program is the Central Government’s initiative to eliminate TB from the country by 2025and intends to reduce the stigma around tuberculosis by urging citizens to adopt tuberculosis patients and supporting their nutrition and treatment.

Mr. Sunil Gupta, CEO- Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda, inaugurated the program at Jharsuguda in the presence of Dr Dolamani Patel, Chief District Medical Officer and Public Health Officer of Jharsuguda, Ms. Reshma Rana, District Programme Coordinator and Dr Dinesh Kumar Sahu, WHO Consultant.Vedanta Aluminium has committed to support 65 such patients in Jharsuguda and provide them with proper nutrition and counselling towards their treatment.

Speaking on Vedanta Aluminium’s health interventions for the community,Mr. Sunil Gupta, CEO –VedantaLtd.,Jharsuguda, said, “Health and well-being of the community at areas where we operate has always been a key area of focus within our social interventions. Responding to the Prime Minister’s clarion call for a ‘TB Mukt Bharat’, we are proud to partner with the Jharsuguda districtadministration to maximise community awareness on TB. The disease is a national health challenge that can be prevented and cured through timely and effective interventions. We have, therefore, partnered with the Nikshay Mitra programtoimprove the overall quality of life of our local communities.”

Dr.Dolamani Patel, Chief District Medical Officer and Public Health Officer of Jharsuguda, said, “The Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan has been envisioned to bring together all community stakeholders to support patientswith TB treatment and accelerate TB elimination from the country for good. Oftentimes, patients are unable to access treatment and proper nutrition owing to various factors. I commend Vedanta Aluminium for coming forward and supporting us in our endeavour to fight against this deadly disease, which can be completely cured with the right interventions.”

Vedanta Aluminium’s Jharsuguda operations provides a wide spectrum of basic and specialized health services in and around its operational area, which include:

• Mobile Health Units that provide basic healthcare services to more than 55,000 people annually, across 28 remote villages
• Various health camps for local communities in and around Jharsuguda through the Mobile Health Units, with a total reach of more than 70,000 people till date
• Awareness camps on preventive healthcare, including on HIV/AIDS
• Immunization of 26,000 children under government’s vaccination program in partnership district health department
• An upcoming advanced state-of-the-art multispecialty facility which shall offer over 500 tests & specialized services like Radiology, Mammography, ECG/PFT/TMT, etc.

Vedanta Aluminium’s social interventions are focused on the domains of sustainable livelihood, quality education, women empowerment, health, water and sanitation, bio-investment and community infrastructure. These reach out to over 79 villages in Jharsuguda and nearby areas, benefiting nearly 1.7 lakh people in a year. Through them, the company empowers more than 4000 women from over 300 SHGs, provides doorstep healthcare services to about 32,000 people annually, gives educational support to more than 6400 students, and has planted more than 1.48 lakh trees in partnership with local communities.

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.27 million tonnes in FY22. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 4th in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2021 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.